‘Covering’ Hu Jintao’s 18th Party Congress Speech

As China’s outgoing party chief delivered his speech at the opening of the 18th Communist Party Congress on Thursday morning, some journalists tried to make the most out of the historic moment… by snapping pictures of one another.

Lingling Wei/The Wall Street Journal

Journalists hard at work covering Chinese president Hu Jintao’s opening speech at the 18th Party Congress inside the Great Hall of the People.

With security extra tight at the event that marks the beginning of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, all accredited journalists, foreign and domestic, were shoved up to a sitting area on the third floor. From there, the journalists got a panoramic view of seven rows of Chinese leaders — past, present and future — sitting motionless on the podium.

Mr. Hu’s speech, delivered in a relatively concise one hour and 40 minutes from a lectern adorned with flowers, was peppered with repeated references to “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” “scientific development” and “the pride and honor of the Chinese people.” Occasional rounds of applause emanated from the thousands of Communist Party delegates sitting in the cavernous Great Hall of the People, especially when Mr. Hu raised his voice while touching on important issues like the fight against corruption and China’s sovereignty.

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Attentive at first, some of the journalists became restless as the speech went on. While some fiddled with their smartphones or stared forlornly at their notebooks, others decided to kill time by taking pictures of one another against the backdrop of the entire Politburo.

“Look okay?” one Chinese female reporter asked another after a quick pose and click. “This is historic,” she exclaimed, trying but barely succeeding at lowering her voice.

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